Space Today Online - Spaceports Around the World - Australia Spaceports Around the World: Australia's Woomera and Weipa Spaceports Satellites have been blasted to space from Australia. On October 28, 1971, Great Britain became the sixth nation to launch an artificial moon to orbit above Earth. The satellite, named Black Knight 1, rode atop a rocket called Black Arrow in a launch from Woomera, Australia. Woomera. This village with a population of 1,805 is a small town in the north of South Australia managed by the Australian Department of Defence. It was established in 1947 as a testing station for the British experimental rocket program. South Australia is home to the famous Outback, which contains 80 percent of the state's area, but less than 0.75 percent of its population. Great Britain and Australia tested rockets on the firing range at Woomera from the end of World War II through the 1970's. Numerous rockets were launched, including the early Europa series. Woomera also operated as a NASA tracking station until 1972.

The rocket testing range and the Nurrungar communications station are prohibited areas managed by the Defence Department. More recently, the Australian Space Council has been considering the possibility of new launch pads at Woomera as well as at Weipa and Darwin. Sparsely populated Woomera has useful infrastructure, is usually cloud free, and would be a good location for access to polar orbits. Darwin. Unlike the empty desert area around Woomera, this capital of the Northern Territory is a bustling tropical city clustering around the beaches of Darwin Harbour Weipa. Weipa is on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. Cape York is the most northerly tip of Australia and a four-day four-wheel-drive trip from Cooktown through some of the most rugged sandy and wooded country in Australia. One of the world's last rainforest wildernesses, the unexplored domain is accessed via rugged dirt roads which cross several rivers that often swell and close the roads during the wet season.

The Queensland state government has been putting a lot of energy into promoting space launches from Weipa, Australia, trading the excellent climate in the remote, northern, sparsely-populated 4,000-square-mile Cape York Peninsula -- including its overpopulation of crocodiles -- for a slice of the worldwide spaceflight launching pie. It's certainly a low-overhead area at the moment. And it probably can guarantee longer life in space for satellites since it's only about 15 degrees below the equator. An orbiting stationary satellite, which had been launched from Cape York Peninsula, would need 120 lbs. less fuel to maintain its orbit. That would mean a couple of years more working life in space. The premier of Queensland, calling the weather at Weipa as near perfect as one could want, said that should be attractive to governments and private companies who could replace Mother Nature's local environment with steel towers, concrete runways and hotels. In the early 1990s, Australia organized a Cape York Space Agency to develop a Queensland launch facility. A Queensland University scientist said spaceport operators could earn millions of dollars in profits, even after the expense of moving the crocodiles elsewhere. Meeting resistance.

However, thousands of Aborigines who call tropical Cape York Peninsula home disagreed with the premier of Queensland. They campaigned against the proposed launch site, calling it a "second invasion" of their country. The spaceport is backed by the government of Australia and the state of Queensland, but the Wuthathi and Kuku Yau communities of Aborigines said the launch site was planned in Tokyo, Moscow and Washington, without consideration for local land rights. The local Cape York Aboriginal Land Council used legal means to stop the development. Wuthathi people are traditional Aborigine owners of the outlying land on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula. Japanese shuttle landings. Japan, with ambitious plans for its Hope space shuttle to carry freight to the International Space Station, had been thinking about landing the shuttle at Weipa. The name Hope is short for H-2 Orbiting Plane. H-2 is a Japanese powerful space rocket. However technical setbacks have delayed plans to shoot the Hope shuttle to orbit atop an H-2. Pacific Spaceport Group is an organization formed by Japan's seven largest companies. It wanted to build a six-mile-long runway, plus launch towers and control buildings for the Hope shuttle at the Weipa spaceport.

The Japanese government would have to spend billions to build rockets and ground facilities. Russian spaceport. In addition, Russia would like to go into the business of ferrying U.S. satellites to orbit from Weipa on Zenit rockets. The Zenit is a medium-lift booster, which could do the job if only the Aborigines would have permitted United Technologies Corp. of Hartford, Connecticut, to build a spaceport on their Cape York lands. The U.S. government had informally approved start of the construction project, after the project had been held up by questions of transferring U.S. technology to Russia. Some 70 USBI workers were to have designed the spaceport for the Cape York Space Agency (CYSA), then 300 would have supervised construction of the base in northern Queensland and 200 would have managed the launch site on Australia's northernmost tip. Zenit. The plan was for Russia's commercial space agency, Glavkosmos, to sell rockets to CYSA and supply engineers to handle launches, but not share in ownership of the spaceport. Zenits would have ferried satellites to space from Cape York for customers from around the world, including the United States.

The $500 million Cape York venture would have been backed by an Australian real estate developer and would not have received government money. It would have increased competition for American rocket makers, already competing with Europe and China for launch business. Secret Space Base. Meanwhile, across the continent from Weipa, Australia and the United States operate a secret satellite communications and control base at the old British-Australian rocket testing range near Nurrungar, 300 miles northwest of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. Great Britain and Australia tested rockets on the range there at Woomera from the end of World War II through the 1970's. Word of the secret space center slipped out in 1988 while the Australian Broadcasting Corp. was making a documentary on the town of Woomera. Australia's Defense Department then publicized photographs of the space-tracking center, showing a close-up of an antenna at the station inside a protective radome, an outside shot of a radome, and a wide angle view of three radomes and buildings. A radome is a protective covering over a radar antenna which does not interfere with signals to and from an antenna inside. Three sites.

Nurrungar is a Joint Defense Space Communications Station, one of three shared bases in Australia. The others are at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and North-West Cape, Western Australia. News reports indicated Nurrungar controled U.S. infrared early-warning and arms control verification satellites which observed Russian missile launches. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Australian prime minister Bob Hawke acknowledged Nurrangar gave early warning of ballistic missile launches and nuclear detonations, while the satellite ground station at Pine Gap received intelligence data. Nurrungar. Nurrungar is a relic of the Cold War in which it served as an early-warning system against a massive Soviet nuclear attack. It then became a key Allied warning link in the Persian Gulf War, detecting Scud missiles as Iraq lobbed them at Israel and Saudi Arabia. During the Gulf War, infrared sensors in a U.S. Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite over the Indian Ocean scanned Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, Asia and Southeast Asia, and Australia. Heat from the exhaust of any rocket launch was spotted within seconds by the sensors. That triggered the DSP satellite to send down an alert to Nurrungar.

Within a minute of blast off, 500 Australian and U.S. technicians could pinpoint a rocket's origin within three nautical miles, calculate its trajectory and determine its target. The information would have been rushed to commanders, providing time for air-raid warnings. Location of a launch site was used for search-and-destroy missions. Pine Gap. In central Australia, Pine Gap uses an extraordinarily-sensitive eavesdropping satellite to monitor two-way radio and other communications. The satellite's receivers are so sensitive, it is said they can hear low-power handheld portable radios during Russian military exercises. In the Persian Gulf War, the base reportedly was tuned to Iraqi military signals to see which stations had been knocked out. As one of 28 nations in the coalition against Iraq, Australia sent three ships to the Gulf. Meanwhile, back in Australia, the secret satellite ground stations were under U.S. command. Other American satellite receiving stations dot the globe, including secret listening posts at Fort Meade, Maryland; Bad Aibling, West Germany; and Menwith Hill, Great Britain.

World Space Centers WORLD SPACE CENTERS NUMBER OF ORBITAL LAUNCHES BY SITE COUNTRY Australia WOOMERA The Australian Space Council is studying under its 5 year rolling plan the requirements for establishing light launch facilities at Woomera initially and then Darwin. A goal is for Australia to secure a significant share of Asian space business in launches, small satellites and space-based services. However, the Government has yet formally to endorse the launch program. Woomera's advantages include polar orbit access, a sparsely inhabited downrange area, an existing infrastructure and largely cloud-free weather. Brazil ALCANTARA The CLA Alcantara Launch Center, on the Atlantic coast outside Sao Luis, was expanded to handle the VLS orbital launcher; a formal opening was held in Feb-1990. Pads are also provided for the Sonda 3/4 sounding rockets, meteorological rockets and other science vehicles. The position near the equator offers 25% greater advantage than Cape Canaveral from the Earth's rotation. It was reported in mid-1990 that discussions were underway for commercial Proton operations.

China JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER Built in the early 1960s in the Gobi desert 1,600 km west of Beijing, north of Jiuquan city. Formerly known in the West as Shuang Cheng Tzu, this was China's first launch site but it is limited to SE launches into 57-70o orbits to avoid overflying Russia and Mongolia. Sounding rockets also utilize the site. Two pads, with a shared mobile service tower, were employed separately for CZ-2/FB-1 and CZ-1 space vehicles but in early 1980s the latter added the capability for CZ-2C missions. CZ-2D was introduced in 1992. Jiuquan will continue to be used primarily for recoverable Earth observation/mg missions but because of its geographical constraints greater commercial activities are focused on the other two launch bases. If a manned project is accepted for the 1996-2000 5 year plan, a new CZ-2E pad would be built at Jiuquan.

XICHANG SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER Xichang was selected from a shortlist of 16 sites of 81 surveyed for a more favorable GEO mission base than Jiuquan; construction work 65 km north of Xichang city began in 1978 and resulted in the first launch in Jan-1984. Xichang has two separate launch pads. The single CZ-3 pad can support up to five missions annually. The second complex is for CZ-2E/3A/3B vehicles with add-on boosters. Its first launch was 16-Jul-1990. The local population have traditionally been allowed to live close to the pads. When the maiden CZ-3B crashed 14-Feb-1996 into a hillside 1.5 km from the complex, the death toll was 6 plus 57 injured. When the CZ-2E of 25-Jan-1995 exploded the debris killed six and injured 23 in a village 7 km downrange.

TAIYUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER Taiyuan was inaugurated in Sep-1988 for launches by CZ-4 into polar orbits for remote sensing, meteorological and reconnaissance missions. There is a single pad. It was initially operated for missile testing as an extension of Jiuquan for larger vehicles, including the DF-5. CZ-2C launches are planned to begin in 1996 carrying Iridium satellites. The site is designated Wuzhai by US Space Command. CIS / USSR Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), created Dec-1991 upon the disbanding of the Soviet Union, is made up of 12 of the 15 former Soviet constituent republics. Members include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. BAIKONUR/TYURATAM All manned flights and planetary missions are launched from 45.6oN/63.4oE. Due-east launches (the most efficient) are not allowed because of the lower stages impacting in China.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome offers nine launch complexes, with 15 pads, to accommodate space and missile activities. It is the only cosmodrome supporting Proton, Zenit, Energia and Tsyklon SL-11. Missile and rocket tests began in the area in the early 1950s, with construction of the pad from which both Sputnik 1 and Yuri Gagarin were launched starting in 1955. The site's location was pinpointed in 1957 as being near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan, about 370 km SW of Baikonur. However, the Soviets continued to give its latitude/longitude as that of the town of Baikonur. Kazakhstan finally named it after Tyuratam in 1992, but everyone still calls it Baikonur. KAPUSTIN YAR Known as the Volgograd Station to its personnel, this was the first rocket development center, hosting its first launch in 1947. During its early years, Kapustin Yar tested captured V2 missiles and conducted sounding rocket experiments carrying dogs and other animals up to 500 km.

Its first orbital launch was Cosmos 1 in 1962. By 1980 there had been 70 orbital launches, mostly small Cosmos science satellites, but as work was switched to Plesetsk the annual launch rate fell to an average of only one. Kapustin Yar in later years handled only occasional missions, possibly for radar calibration. There has been no orbital launch since 1987, leaving the total at 83. It is no longer under VKS control but there are still some missile testing activities. Cosmos suborbital launches continue and AKO Polyot offers commercial orbital launches, partly using Cosmos USA processing facilities transported from Plesetak. PLESETSK Mirny-12, Arkhangelskaya oblast, 164170 Russia Tel: 7-095-330-9190 Fax: 7-095-330-9190 Plesetsk was long by far the world's busiest spaceport but has now been overtaken by Baikonur. Orbital launches have declined for several years, a process emphasized as programs transfer to newer vehicles at Tyuratam.

The base is located at 62.8oN/40.1oE, which enables communications and spy satellites to be placed in polar and highly elliptical orbits. Range safety restrictions now limit most flights to 62.8o, 67.1o, 73-74o, 82-83o. Construction of the first of several pads for the R7/A-class vehicle began in Apr-1957 to support the nascent ICBM program. The pad and ICBM began active duty in Jan-1960. There are nine operational pads: three for Cosmos, four Soyuz/Molniya and two Tsyklon. Complex 35 with two Zenit pads and vehicle/spacecraft processing facilities is under construction for polar missions from 1997. Thus the most powerful launcher available at Plesetsk is still the Molniya. SVOBODNY Proposals for a new cosmodrome at the decommissioned missile site at Svobodny-18 100 km from the Chinese border surfaced during Russia's negotiations with Kazakhstan over Baikonur's future.

They were widely perceived as a negotiating ploy, but President Yeltsin signed a decree 1-Mar-1996 approving the cosmodrome's creation. Start will be the first user, employing its own transportable launcher in late 1996. Rockot will follow before end-1996, employing one of five silos. The largest investment will be a 2-pad Angara complex. France BP726, F-97387 Kourou Cedex, French Guiana Tel: 594-33-51-11 Fax: 594-33-47-66 Although owned by CNES, the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) is made available to ESA/Arianespace under a governmental agreement that guarantees access to the ESA-owned Ariane launch facilities. CSG is the most favorable major site for GEO launches, its near-equatorial position providing a 15% payload advantage over Cape Canaveral for eastward launches. Guiana's coastline unusually permits launches into both equatorial and polar/Sun-synchronous paths, with inclinations up to 100.5o possible.

497 launches of sounding rockets and orbital vehicles had been made through 1995 since it became operational Apr-1968, plus 60 balloons. India SHAR CENTER SHAR, encompassing the Sriharikota Island on the east coast of Andhra Pradesh, is ISRO's satellite launching base and additionally provides launch facilities for the full range of Rohini sounding rockets. The PSLV launch complex was commissioned in 1990. Modifications underway will allow the complex to handle GSLV. Israel PALMACHIM An area near or within Israel's Palmachim Air Force Base south of Tel Aviv, and near the town of Yavne, was inaugurated as an orbital site with the launch of the Ofeq 1 satellite 19-Sep-1988. Facilities are classified although they are reportedly visible from the coast road. Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, the site is restricted to retrograde departures for range safety considerations. Italy SAN MARCO Italy's offshore orbital launch platform was last employed in Mar-1988 - its first firing in 12 years. The Italian Vega would use the site, although the vehicle's future is highly uncertain.

Owned/operated by the Italian government, it comprises two platforms in Formosa Bay 4.8 km off the coast of Kenya. The San Marco platform provides the launch pad, while Santa Rita platform houses blockhouse facilities. The range is maintained in operational condition and the telemetry/tracking station still works under ESA contract. The range became operational in 1966 and by mid-1976 eight satellites had been launched. Japan Tel: 81-99-467-2211 Fax: 81-99-467-3811 Japan's first six satellites were launched from these leveled hilltops facing the Pacific Ocean at Uchinoura on the southern tip of Kyushu Island. By end-1995, orbital launches totaled 21 successful, with 349 launches of all types. Construction of a sounding rocket site began in Feb-1962, with extensions for science satellite launches by M rockets completed in 1966. Kagoshima's M-3SII all-solid ISAS/Nissan orbital launcher retired in Jan-1995.

The S-310, S-520 and K-9M sounding rockets and the MT-135 meteorological rocket are currently supported. Annual launch rate is typically 3-4 for the larger sounding rockets. Facilities have been upgraded to support the new M-5 orbital vehicle, first launched in Feb-1997. TANEGASHIMA SPACE CENTER Tel: 81-9972-6-2111 Fax: 81-9972-4-4004 NASDA's Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) orbital launch facility is located on the SE tip of Tanegashima Island, 1,000 km SW of Tokyo. The more northerly Osaki Launch Site includes the H2/J1 pads and liquid engine static test facilities, while the Takesaki Launch Site handles sounding rockets and provides facilities for H2 solid booster static firings and the H2 Range Control Center. A new pad will be completed in 1999 for the Upgraded H2.

United States Tel: 1-415-604-9000 Fax: 1-415-604-3953 Ames Research Center was founded in 1939 as an aircraft research laboratory and became part of NASA in 1958. Its major research activities focus on computational and experimental aerodynamics, hypersonic aircraft, aeronautical and space human factors, life sciences, Earth environment, space science, solar system exploration and infra-red astronomy. Ames manages Pioneer 10/11 and was responsible for Galileo's Jupiter atmospheric entry probe. It headed NASA's SETI program until activities were terminated by Congress in late 1993. APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099 Tel: 1-301-953-5000 Fax: 1-301-953-1093 Founded in 1942, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a non-profit R&D laboratory and independent division of the John Hopkins University.

It operates primarily under a contract with the US Navy's Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command for almost all DoD-sponsored programs and other federal government activities. APL is a major center for satellite development, construction and operation. Through 1995, it had built 56 satellites. It has also provided scores of space instruments. CAPE CANAVERAL AIR STATION Tel: 1-407-494-1110 Fax: 1-407-494-7302 Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) is under the direction of the US Space Command 45th Space Wing. Cape Canaveral encompasses active Titan, Atlas and Delta complexes in addition to providing support facilities for the military, NASA and commercial organizations. 455 space launches have been made to end-1995, including NASA's first 17 manned missions. The annual launch rate is now constrained to 25-30 because, despite upgrading, the Cape is based on 1950s concepts.

Principal current launch activities are Titan operations at pads 40/41, Delta from Space Launch Complex 17A/B and Atlas Centaur from SLC 36A/B. Orbital inclination is constrained without doglegging to 57o by range safety considerations. Polar launches from Canaveral are not permitted, as this would involve overflight of populated land masses. CCAS operates the Eastern Range tracking network extending into the Indian Ocean, where it meets the Western Range system. DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER P.O. Box 273, Edwards, California 93523 Tel: 1-805-258-3449 Fax: 1-805-258-3566 Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) merged in 1981 with NASA Ames Research Center but again became a fully independent center 1-Oct-1994. It is located on the edge of the Rodgers Dry Lake at the south end of a high speed flight corridor at the USAF Edwards AFB. It has restricted airspace to conduct aeronautical research with high performance aircraft.

Dryden is involved in the development of the X-33 and X-34 reusable launchers. The Apollo Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and Lifting Body family operated out of Dryden in the 1960-70s. The runways on the dry lakebed and Edward's main runway are now used as shuttle landing sites when Cape Canaveral conditions are unacceptable. GLENN RESEARCH CENTER 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44135 Tel: 1-216-433-8920 Fax: 1-216-433-8143 Founded in 1941 under the name Lewis Research Center, the facility was renamed Glenn Research Center in 1999. Glenn Research Center (GRC) is NASA's lead center for research, technology and development of aircraft propulsion, space propulsion, space power and satcoms. As such, Glenn oversees the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite project by operating the Master Control Station. It is the lead center for the propulsion technology development for NASA's High Speed Research Program. The Microgravity Materials Science Laboratory is housed at Glenn for qualifying space experiments.

NASA's Atlas and Centaur launch activities are managed by GRC. GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Tel: 1-301-286-2000 Fax: 1-301-286-1707 Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) was established in May-1959. It is the only US national facility that can develop, fabricate, test, launch and analyze data from its own space science missions. Goddard has managed the development of 160 satellites for NASA and NOAA, including the Explorer series, COBE, Compton Observatory, Solar Max, ERBS, Spartan and URAS. Hubble Space Telescope science operations are controlled by GSFC's Space Telescope Science Institute at John Hopkins University. Goddard directs NASA's Delta launch activities and the operation of NASA's Space Flight Tracking & Data Network.

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109 Tel: 1-818-354-5011 Fax: 1-818-354-4537 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a government-owned facility operated by the California Institute of Technology under contract since 1959 to NASA. JPL is responsible for most of NASA's deep space missions, including Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, Mars Surveyor and Mars Pathfinder. It manages NASA's portion of the joint Ulysses solar probe, the US/French Topex/Poseidon oceanographic satellite project, the Spaceborne Imaging Radar and developed the Wide Field/Planetary Camera for Hubble. JPL developed and manages NASA's worldwide Deep Space Network (DSN) for providing links with spacecraft above 10,000 km. DSN comprises three complexes near Canberra, Australia; Goldstone, California and Madrid, Spain.

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER Tel: 1-713-483-5111 Fax: 1-713-483-2000 Johnson Space Center (JSC) was established in 1961 as NASA's center for design, development and testing of manned spacecraft; it is currently responsible for the Space Shuttle program and was named in Aug-1993 as the host center for the revised Space Station program. The center is divided into directorates responsible for specific functions: Administration, Flight Crew Operations, Mission Operations, Engineering, Space/Life Sciences, and Information Systems. JSC also manages the White Sands Test Facility in new Mexico for Shuttle propulsion, power system and materials testing. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Tel: 1-407-867-2468 Fax: 1-407-867-2692 Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is NASA's site for processing, launching and landing the Space Shuttle and its payloads, including Space Stations components.

Located on Merrit island adjacent to the USAF launch facilities of the Cape Canaveral Air Station, Kennedy was originally built to support the Apollo lunar landing program of the 1960s. After the last Apollo lunar launch in 1972, Launch Complex 39 supported Skylab 1973-74, Apollo-Soyuz in 1975 and Shuttle from the late 1970s. Shuttle mission STS-80 in Nov-1996 brought the number of manned launches to 94 from pads 39A/B through end-1996. LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER Tel: 1-804-864-6124 Fax: 1-804-864-6333 Langley Research Center (LaRC) is primarily a research center for advanced aerospace technology. Major research fields include aerodynamics, materials, structures, flight controls, information systems, acoustics, aeroelasticity, atmospheric sciences and non-destructive evaluation.

40% of the work supports space activities, including technology for advanced space transportation, large space structures and the Earth Observing System as part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The center was established in 1917 and became one of the original NASA facilities when the agency was created in 1958. The US manned space program began there in 1959 before its transfer to new dedicated facilities in Houston in mid-1962. LaRC was responsible for the highly successful Lunar Orbiters and Viking Mars orbiters/landers. LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 Tel: 1-505-667-7000 Fax: 1-505-665-5552 Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), founded in 1943, is a multidisciplinary research facility operated by the University of California for the Department of Energy, undertaking research in nuclear/non-nuclear defense programs, nuclear safeguards/security, bio-medical sciences, computational sciences, materials science, environmental cleanup and basic science. Its first director was J.

Robert Oppenheimer, who helped to found the Lab to develop the first atomic weapons. Los Alamos continues to have responsibility for monitoring outer space for nuclear explosions. MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Tel: 1-205-544-6534 Fax: 1-205-544-5852 Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is one of the largest of NASA's 10 field centers. Marshall is the principal propulsion development center, responsible for Shuttle's main engines, solid boosters and external tank; it is the host center for NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle technology program. It has a key role in the Space Station, covering the pressurized modules, research nodes and ECLSS. Other programs include Spacelab, development of AXAF, management of the Tethered Satellite System and Inertial Upper Stage, and support of Mission to Planet Earth. Marshall was established in 1960 around a nucleus headed by Dr Wernher von Braun, the team which orbited Explorer 1. Marshall became NASA's lead center for Apollo's Saturn launchers and developed the Skylab space station.

POKER FLAT RESEARCH RANGE Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska PO Box 757320, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7320 Tel: 1-907-474-7413 Fax: 1-907-474-7015 Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) is primarily a sounding rocket launch facility dedicated to auroral and middle to upper atmospheric research. Operated by the Geophysical Institute, it is the world's only university-owned launch range. It is also the only high latitude and auroral zone rocket launch facility on US soil. STENNIS SPACE CENTER Tel: 1-601-688-3341 Fax: 1-601-688-1094 Stennis Space Center (SSC) is NASA's primary large propulsion test facility, including development testing of the Space Shuttle main engines. Stennis is also NASA's lead center for the commercialization of remote sensing technology. Eighteen other federal and state agencies occupy the site, including the Naval Meteorology & Oceanographic Command.

The site was selected in 1961 to accommodate Apollo's F1 and J2 engines and Saturn V stages. All main Shuttle engines undergo acceptance testing at Stennis before flight. VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE Rel: 1-805-734-8232 Fax: 1-805-866-3232 Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) is under the direction of the US Space Command 30th Space Wing. Vandenberg is responsible for missile and space launches on the west coast and operates the Western Range tracking network extending into the Indian Ocean, where it meets the Eastern Range system. Vandenberg provides the US with access into polar orbits using due south launches and was to have provided a base for Shuttle departures on high inclination missions. Delta missions are supported by the Space Launch Complex (SLC)-2W pad, Titan by SLC-4 and Atlas by SLC-3; Scout retired with its last launch May-1994 from SLC-5. Vandenberg is also an important base for development and operational ICBM flight testing.

WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY Tel: 1-804-824-1579 Fax: 1-804-824-1971 Now a part of Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops became the third US orbital site 16-Feb-1961 with the launch of the Explorer 9 balloon by the all-solid Scout. 19 vehicles achieved orbit from Wallops by end-1995 (plus three failures), the most recent in 1985. Although the facility is still available, Scout retired in 1994. Orbital activity resumed Oct-1995, but the commercial Conestoga failed. Wallops' major activity now is as the base for NASA's sounding rocket program. Current vehicles include Super Arcas, Black Brant, Taurus-Tomahawk, Taurus-Orion and Terrier-Malemute. Some 30 launches are made annually.

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE Las Cruces, New Mexico 88002-5032 Tel: 1-505-678-1101 Fax: 1-505-678-5950 White Sands is operated by the US Army and was the site of the first major US rocket firings after World War 2 before the move was made to Florida's larger range. It is also the site of the first atomic explosion. White Sands is still a major sounding rocket firing base and supports BMDO flight testing. White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is operated by Johnson Space Center for Shuttle propulsion, power system and materials testing. WSTF is also responsible for White Sands Space Harbor (WSSH) which provides the third Shuttle landing site in the US after Florida and Edwards AFB. Compiled and edited by Robert A. Braeunig, 1998, 2000.

NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2003-019A Description The primary scientific objective of the Hayabusa (formerly Muses-C) mission is to collect a surface sample of material from the small (550 x 180 meter) asteroid 25143 Itokawa (1998 SF36) and return the sample to Earth for analysis. It is also a technology demonstration mission. Other scientific objectives of the mission include detailed studies of the asteroid's shape, spin state, topography, color, composition, density, photometric and polarimetric properties, interior and history. Mission Profile The spacecraft was launched on 9 May 2003 at 04:29:25 UT (1:29 p.m. local time, 12:29 a.m. EDT) on an M-5 solid fuel booster from the Kagoshima launch center.

Following launch, the name Muses-C was changed to Hayabusa (the Japanese word for falcon) and the spacecraft was put into a transfer orbit to bring it to asteroid 25143 Itokawa (1998 SF36), a 0.3 x 0.7 km near-Earth object. The ion engines were successfully test-fired starting on 27 May to the middle of June, 2003. A large solar flare in late 2003 degraded the solar panels. The loss of power available to Hayabusa's ion engines forced the originally planned early summer 2005 rendezvous with Itokawa to be moved back to September. Hayabusa flew by Earth on 19 May 2004 at an altitude of 3725 km at 6:23 UT. On 31 July the X-axis reaction wheel failed. Rendezvous with the asteroid occured in September 2005 with the spacecraft coming to rest relative to the asteroid at a distance of 20 km at 1:17 UT on 12 September.

The spacecraft did not go into orbit around the asteroid, but remained in a station-keeping heliocentric orbit close by. On 3 October 2005 Hayabusa lost the use of the Y-axis reaction wheel and was using one reaction wheel and two chemical thrusters to maintain attitude control. Hayabusa initially surveyed the asteroid's surface from a distance of about 20 km in the "home position", a region roughly on a line connecting the Earth with the asteroid on the sunward side. This is global mapping phase 1, the phase angle during this phase was small, no greater than 20 - 25 degrees. Global mapping phase 2, which lasted about a week, began on 4 October when the spacecraft reached a position near the terminator at a distance of 7 km, affording high phase angle views of the asteroid. Following this the spacecraft moved back to the home position and then moved close to the surface in November for a "rehearsal" touchdown. This touchdown was attempted on 4 November but was aborted due to an anomalous signal at 700 meters above the asteroid's surface. On 12 November a second rehearsal touchdown was attempted.

The spacecraft began its descent from 1.4 km altitude at 3 cm/sec to an altitude of 55 meters. The small lander/hopper, Minerva, was deployed at 6:34 UT (3:34 p.m. JST) but unfortunately Hayabusa had already reached the 55 meter level and had begun an automatic ascent so the release was at a higher altitude than planned. Contact was lost and it is believed Minerva moved off into space without landing. At 12:00 UT on 19 November 2005 (9:00 p.m. JST, 7:00 a.m. EST) Hayabusa began its descent towards the asteroid from an altitude of 1 km. At 19:33 UT (4:33 a.m. JST 20 November) the final approach was commanded and the descent began from an altitude of about 450 meters at 12 cm/sec. The target marker was released at 20:30 UT 19 November (5:30 a.m.

JST 20 November) about 40 meters above the asteroid and Hayabusa's descent was slowed to 3 cm/sec to allow the marker to fall ahead of it. The spacecraft reduced its speed to zero and then began free-fall at an altitude of 17 meters at which point contact was lost. Later telemetry indicated that Hayabusa hit the surface at 20:40 UT 19 November (5:40 a.m. JST 20 November) at roughly 10 cm/sec and bounced. It bounced again at 21:10 and then landed at 21:30 within about 30 meters of the target marker. At 21:58 (6:58 a.m. JST 20 November) it was commanded to make an emergency ascent. The craft remained on the surface for about half an hour but did not fire the projectile to collect a sample. This was the first ever controlled landing on an asteroid and first ascent from any other solar sytem body except the Moon.

A second touchdown and sampling run was made on 25 November, early telemetry indicated the spacecraft touched down at 10 cm/sec and that two sampling bullets were fired 0.2 seconds apart at 22:07 UT 24 November (7:07 a.m. JST 25 November) but later examination indicated the bullets did not fire. On 9 December contact was lost with the spacecraft, presumably because of torques caused by a thruster leak which altered the pointing of the antenna. Communications with the spacecraft were regained in early March 2006. It appears that the chemical fuel has been lost due to the leak, two of three reaction wheels were also inoperable and 4 of the 11 lithium-ion battery cells were not functioning. Ground controllers used the solar batteries to run the ion engine, which were used in place of the chemical thrusters to maintain attitude control. The ion engine ran until November 2007, at which time it was turned off and the spacecraft went into hibernation mode and continued on a ballistic trajectory. There is still a large margin of xenon left to run the thrusters for propulsion and attitude control.

The re-entry capsule detached from the main spacecraft at a distance of about 300,000 to 400,000 km from the Earth, and the capsule coasted on a ballistic trajectory, re-entering the Earth's atmosphere on 13 June 2010. The capsule experienced peak decellerations of about 25 G and heating rates approximately 30 times those experienced by the Apollo spacecraft. It landed via parachute near Woomera, Australia. Subsequent examination of the sample return capsule showed that there were roughly 1500 dust particles from asteroid Itokawa which were presumably kicked up into the collection area during the touchdowns due to the extremely low surface gravity. Spacecraft and Subsystems The Hayabusa spacecraft has a box-shaped main body 1.5 m along each side and 1.05 m high. The launch mass is 530 kg, including 50 kg of chemical propellant and 65 kg of xenon gas. Two solar panel wings with a total array area of 12 square meters protrude from the side and a 1.5 m diameter high-gain parabolic antenna is mounted on top on a two-axis gimbal.

A cylindrical sampler horn, deployed shortly after launch, protrudes from the bottom of the spacecraft. The Minerva lander was also mounted on th spacecraft near the bottom panel. Hayabusa is propelled during cruise phases by two microwave ion thruster engines, which use a microwave discharge to ionize xenon gas. The ionized plasma is accelerated by high-voltage electrodes through four thruster heads which protrude from one side of the spacecraft body to provide a peak thrust of 20 mN using 1 kW power. A nitrogen tetroxide/hydrazine propulsion system with a peak thrust of 22 N will be used for maneuvering. The spacecraft is powered by gallium-arsenide solar cells and a 15 A-hr rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery. Communications are via X- and S-band low gain antennas and the high gain dish antenna (X-band) with a transmitted power of 20 W. The mission is also be equipped with a camera, used for imaging, visible-polarimetry studies, and optical navigation near the asteroid, a laser ranging device (LIDAR), and near-IR and X-ray spectrometers.

The insulated and cushioned re-entry capsule, 40 cm in diameter and 25 cm deep with a mass of about 20 kg, is attached to the body of the spacecraft near the sample collection horn. The capsule has a convex nose covered with a 3 cm thick ablative heat shield to protect the samples from the high velocity (~13 km/s) re-entry. Cost of the Hayabusa spacecraft is roughly 12 billion yen ($100 million U.S.) Surface Sample Collection The lander will be equipped with a universal sample collection device which will gather roughly one gram of surface samples taken from the landings at 3 different locations. The device consists of a funnel-shaped collection horn, 40 cm in diameter at the end, which is to be placed over the sampling area. A pyrotechnic device fires a 10 gram metal projectile down the barrel of the horn at 200 - 300 m/sec. The projectile strikes the surface producing a small impact crater in the surface of the asteroid and propelling ejecta fragments back up the horn, where some of it is funnelled into a sample collection chamber.

Prior to each sampling run, the spacecraft will drop a small target plate onto the surface from about 30 m altitude to use as a landmark to ensure the relative horizontal velocity between the spacecraft and asteroid surface is zero during the sampling. After sampling the samples will be stored in the re-entry capsule for return to Earth. Minerva The Minerva lander is a small (591 gram) cylinder about the size of a coffee can, designed to be released from the spacecraft on the first rehearsal touchdown run. It has the ability to "hop" on the surface of the asteroid and has full autonomy. It is equipped with an imaging system comprising three miniature cameras and temperature measuring devices. Data will be relayed to Hayabusa and then to Earth. SSV Rover The rover, or Small Science Vehicle (SSV), was to have been a NASA contribution to the mission but was cancelled due to budget contraints. The SSV would have been dropped onto the surface of the asteroid by the Hayabusa spacecraft.

The rover goals were to make texture, composition and morphology measurements of the surface layer at scales smaller than 1 cm, investigations of lateral heterogeneity at small scales, investigation of vertical regolith structure by taking advantage of disturbances of the surface layer by microrover operations, and to measure constraints on the mechanical and thermal properties of the surface layer. The rover would weigh about 1 kg and would be capable of rolling, climbing, or hopping around on the surface of the asteroid. It would have run on solar power and carry a multi-band imaging camera, a near-infrared point spectrometer, and an alpha/X-ray spectrometer (AXS). Spacecraft image for illustrative purposes - not necessarily in the public domain. Alternate Names Launch Site: Uchinoura Space Center, Japan Mass: 415.0 kg Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, U of Tokyo (Japan) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States) Disciplines Historic Spacecraft - Information About European Rockets Historic Spacecraft European Launch Vehicles European Rockets Overview Early European satellite launchers included the French Diamant series, and the British Black Arrow. An early international effort was the unsuccessful Europa rocket, operated by the European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO).

Formed in 1975, the European Space Agency (ESA), has been a dominant player in the commercial satellite launch market for several decades. The Ariane rocket family has evolved over the years to meet the demands of the market. Current operational launchers include the highly successful Ariane 5, the recently introduced Vega small payload launcher, and Soyuz rockets purchased from Russia. Left to right: Diamant A , Diamant B , Diamant BP4 , Black Arrow , Blue Streak , Europa , Ariane 1 , Ariane 2 , Ariane 3 , Ariane 40 , Ariane 44P , Ariane 44LP , Ariane 44L , Ariane 5 , Ariane 5 (Herschel and Planck) , Vega , Soyuz , Human figure for scale (1.8m tall). Diamant Diamant was a series of French satellite launchers. The program began during the early 1960's, with the first successful orbital mission in 1965. The final launch occurred in 1975.

Diamant A The first Diamant A launch successfully placed the Asterix satellite into orbit on 26 November 1965. A total of four Diamant A rockets were launched. All succeeded in placing payloads into orbit. Diamant A launches took place from a site in Algeria. Diamant A Stages Diamant B First launched in 1970, the Diamant B featured enlarged first and third stages. Of the five Diamant B rockets launched, three successfully placed payloads into orbit. All Diamant B launches occurred from Kourou in French Guiana. Diamant B Stages Diamant BP4 The Diamant BP4 included a more powerful second stage and an enlarged payload fairing. Three Diamant BP4 rockets were successfully launched. All missions were launched in 1975 from Kourou, French Guiana. Diamant BP4 Stages Black Arrow British Black Arrow Satellite Launcher. Black Arrow was a British rocket designed as a satellite launcher. Development started in the mid-1960's, with four launches occurring between 1969 and 1971.

All four launches occurred at Woomera, Austraila. The program was canceled in 1971. Five rockets were constructed for the program. (Identified as R0, R1, R2, R3, and R4.) R0 and R1 were flown as sub-orbital test flights. The R2 mission, launched in 1970, was an attempted orbital mission. A problem with the rockets second stage prevented the payload from reaching orbit. The R3 mission, conducted in 1971, successfully placed a satellite into Earth orbit. The fifth rocket, Black Arrow R4, was not launched and is currently on display at the Science Museum in London. (Photos: Richard and Sharron Kruse, 2009) First Stage Second Stage and Payload Fairing Europa Blue Streak Blue Streak was a medium range ballistic missile developed by Britain in the 1950's. The missile used kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellents. Intended to form part of Britain's nuclear deterrent, it was planned to base operational missiles in underground silos. The missile program was canceled in 1960, before entering operational service.

The rocket would later become the first stage of the Europa rocket. Europa The Europa rocket, operated by the European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO), was a joint project between several nations. The first stage was based on the British Blue Streak medium range ballistic missile. France supplied the second stage, while the third stage was built by Germany. Several other nations provided hardware and services for the program. Eleven missions were launched between 1964 and 1971. Most of the flights were conducted from Woomera , Australia, while the last mission launched from Kourou, French Guiana. Although several sub-orbital test flights were successful, all attempted orbital missions failed. Ariane Family of Rockets Ariane rockets are civilian operated, expendable launch vehicles. They are launched from a spaceport in French Guiana. For over 30 years, Ariane rockets have been the mainstay of European space launch capabilities. The reliability and versatility of Ariane rockets has allowed them to become one of the worlds premier commercial satellite launchers. Ariane 1 Ariane 1 was first flown on 24 December 1979.

Eleven Ariane 1 rockets were launched from 1979 to 1986. Payloads included the Giotto space probe, launched on 2 July 1985. Giotto conducted a flyby of Halleys comet on 13 March 1986. Viking Engine The first stage of the Ariane 1 rocket was propelled by four Viking rockets. The second stage used a single Viking rocket. Viking rockets are fueled with hypergolic propellants. Photos of a Viking rocket engine on display at the Udvar-Hazy center. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008) Ariane 2 and 3 Ariane 2 and 3 featured a lengthened second stage. Ariane 3 also included two solid rocket motors to increase performance. Ariane 3 first flew on 4 August 1984. The eleventh and final Ariane 3 was launched on 12 July 1989. The Ariane 2 configuration first flew on 31 May 1986.

A total of six Ariane 2 rockets were launched, with the last taking place on 2 April 1989. Ariane 4 Ariane 4 represented a substantial increase in capability over the Ariane 2 and 3 versions. A large number of improvements were incorporated in the new design, including stretching the first stage propellant tanks. Ariane 4 performance could be tailored to specific payloads by adding liquid and solid strap-on boosters in several different configurations. A total of six configurations were available. An Ariane 4 without any strap-on boosters was given the designation Ariane 40. An Ariane 42L had two liquid boosters. A 42P had two solid boosters, while a 44LP had two solid and two liquid boosters. The most powerful Ariane 4 configuration, with four liquid strap-on boosters, was known as an Ariane 44L. The first Ariane 4 launch occurred on 15 June 1988. Over 100 payloads, including a large number of communications satellites, were launched on Ariane 4 rockets. The last flight took place on 15 February 2003.

An Ariane 44P rocket launched the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) , on 17 November 1995. (Illustration - left to right: Ariane 40, Ariane 44P, Ariane 44LP, Ariane 44L.) Ariane 5 The Ariane 5 first stage uses a single Vulcain rocket engine. The Vulcain uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The first stage is supplemented with a pair of solid rocket boosters. The second stage uses a single engine fueled with hypergolic propellants. The first Ariane 5 rocket was launched on 4 June 1996. The rocket suffered control problems and had to be destroyed. Despite problems with some of the early flights, the Ariane 5 has become a reliable launcher. One high profile payload for the Ariane 5 is the European ATV spacecraft. The ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) is designed to carry cargo and fuel to the International Space Station. The first ATV, known as Jules Verne, was launched on 9 March 2008. The ATV docked with the ISS in April of that year.

After several months docked to the station, the ATV separated and re-entered Earths atmosphere. Additional ATVs are scheduled to resupply the space station periodically. Several large astronomical observatories have been launched on Ariane 5. The XMM-Newton Telescope , a large x-ray observatory, was launched on 10 December 1999. The Herschel Telescope and the Planck Microwave Observatory were launched on the same rocket on 14 May 2009. The dual launch of Planck and Herschel used a longer then normal payload fairing to enclose the observatories (illustration at right). Vega

Question: What is the name of the site in Australia used to test and launch missiles and spacecraft?
Answer: Woomera